In person or conducting, Christopher Lennertz has a boyishly enthusiastic personality that could easily make you imagine he was a member of The Goonies just a few decades before. So it’s no surprise that he’s becoming a go-to composer for funny animal kids’ movies are increasingly playing a part on a diverse resume with the likes of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, HOP, MARMADUKE and CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE. It’s a merry melody orchestral style that sings with colorful brightness and adventure. Yet in R-rating land, Lennertz is having just as much fun getting down and dirty for […]Read On »

If there’s one addiction that it’s hard to think there’s ever too much of, then it’s likely sex addiction. So understandably, that clinically diagnosed affliction is often mocked by mainstream Hollywood, especially since it usually happens to befall incredibly good looking actors we don’t mind seeing have continuous sex. Given that cinematic problem (one that’s slightly remedied here with the casting of Josh Gad), one can only imagine the score that a comedy-centric composer like Christopher Lennertz might unleash on THANKS FOR SHARING. But as opposed to the rambunctious orchestrations of MARMADUKE or the dirty retro funk of IDENTITY THIEF, […]Read On »

Ask Danny Ocean and David Holmes, and they’ll tell you that r & b funk goes with comic crime like a blowtorch and a safe, or in the case of IDENTITY THIEF‘s Internet skills and some poor shmuck’s I.D. There’s also no better way to play a sad sack in way over his head in the white trash boonies than a rocking country-western sound, as Danny Elfman more than proved with MIDNIGHT RUN. Both musical caper sounds combine to rambunctiously enjoyable effect for Chris Lennertz, who’s paying far more homage to these styles than scoring a big rip off. Where […]Read On »

Though Christopher Lennertz is prolifically onscreen with the comedy-centric likes of HORRIBLE BOSSES and HOP, it’s the videogame arena that truly lets this composer strut his creative stuff beyond giving humorous oomph to male bad behavior and talking animals. You can tell the first-person blast he has at the controls, often when bringing new energy to musical styles set long ago in the traditional movie realm, whether it’s the military action of MEDAL OF HONOR‘s European and Pacific assaults, the grooves of classic and current 007 music for FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE, or being far more […]Read On »

Whether you’re a suave con artist, a trash-talking teen, or a harassed member of the man cave, there’s no better way to strut your stuff than with balls-out music- whether the stylings are the retro Vegas swing of OCEANS 11, SUPERBAD’s 70’s Motown funk or the blues rock of HORRIBLE BOSSES. Where that film’s composer may have played it cleverly cute for HOP’s Easter bunny in his last comedy score, it’s all about R-rated rhythmic raunch for BOSSES. With a grooving dream team consisting of such musicians as The Dave Matthews Band’s Stefan Lessard, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and frequent […]Read On »

Having conquered movies and television with his particular brand of Americana, it was only natural for Steven Spielberg to apply his excellent production values to a brave new world of home entertainment. Console fare had certainly evolved beyond the 8-bit by 1999, the year when Spielberg decided to jump into the fray with Electronic Arts for the first MEDAL OF HONOR release on November 11th– a day that shall live in glory for videogame franchises, let alone for marking the real first step of taking their music seriously. For a director whose product was renowned for its production value, Spielberg […]Read On »

Composer Christopher Lennertz could open up a pet store for wiseacre talking animals based on how many of these critters he’s given speedy energy to, but amidst cages filled with chipmunks, dogs, birds and cats, it’s the bunny who’s got the best pedigree. For in a genre that often turns out to be a dragged-along parents’ equivalent to cleaning up after a hyper puppy, HOP is a pleasingly seditious all-ages delight in every department, its Easter bill paid in style by Lennertz’s rambunctious stylings. His thematic melodies run like a mad dervish through HOP’s double-entendres and slapstick gags instead of […]Read On »

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment held the World Premiere of the live action/CG-animated comedy HOP at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 27th. HOP is from the creators of DESPICABLE ME. Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action, Hop tells the comic tale of Fred O’Hare (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny’s teenage son E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand). E.B. headed to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band and now Fred must take him in as he recovers. As Fred struggles with the world’s worst houseguest, both will learn what it […]Read On »